In this week's issue:

The Socialist 11 January 2012, issue We say: NO WAY! Strike to defend pensions

We say: NO WAY! Strike to defend pensions

PCS left Unity meeting: Organising to step up the pensions struggle

On Saturday 7 January Left Unity in the PCS civil service union hosted an emergency open organising meeting because our movement in defence of public sector pensions is at a critical point, writes Janice Godrich, PCS President and national chair of PCS Left Unity.

Pensions dispute: Everything is still to fight for

Workers need an electoral alternative that fights for them

Unison member: no pensions sell-out

Fighting the pensions battle: An interview with Mark Serwotka

Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary, speaking at the PCS Left Unity, photo by Socialist Party

Rob Williams, the Socialist Party's industrial organiser, interviewed PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka in the run-up to the PCS Left Unity meeting on 7 January.

Fat cat pay: empty words from Cameron

Prime minister David Cameron now tells us that he is determined to announce action in this spring's Queen's speech on the phenomenally high pay of 'fat cat' company executives, writes Roger Shrives.

Clock turned back on housing

Them & Us

Reject slave labour for young unemployed

The Jarrow March for Jobs 2011 ends with a demonstration in London on 5 November , photo Sujeeth

"Thanks but no thanks": In October, Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) activists, marched over 300 miles from Jarrow to London to hand a petition into Downing Street demanding job creation instead of workfare, bringing back EMA student payments, scrapping tuition fees, saving youth services and building affordable housing...

1,200 jobs threatened by DVLA closures

PCS union members working at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are angry and frustrated at plans by the Con-Dem government to shut all 39 local offices by the end of 2013, writes Hugh Caffrey.

We need more railway jobs

Cuts councillors dishonoured

Workplace news in brief

Stephen Lawrence murder - the untold story

Youth Against Racism in Europe (YRE) and Panther platform in Welling as part of the campaign to drive the racists out after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, photo R. Newton

On 3 January 2012 Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty of the horrific murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence and sentenced to life imprisonment...

Heseltine continued Liverpool's decline

Nigeria shut down at start of indefinite general strike

Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) in Nigeria, sister party of the Socialist Party in the UK, , photo by DSM

Nigeria has been gripped by widespread anger and protest since the sudden New Year's Day announcement of a more than doubling in the price of fuel; something which hits not just transport of people and goods but also fuel for the generators people need for electricity and fuel for cooking...

Socialist Women: At the frontline of the resistance

Socialist Party members from eight regions were represented at an excellent national women's meeting on 8 January, writes Sarah Wrack.

Socialist Party 2011 fighting fund target smashed!

Help support the fightback in 2012: Socialist Party members raised a magnificent £33,322 fighting fund in the last three months of 2011, surpassing the target of £25,000 for the quarter and reaching 133%, writes Ken Douglas Socialist Party national treasurer.

Raffle - Ken Loach at the BBC

Film review :The Iron Lady in meltdown

Thatcher: The Iron Lady, still from movie

The widely hyped film 'The Iron Lady' is not intended to cover all the political events of Thatcher's life. It deals with the political issues through the incoherent rambling recollections of an old and demented Thatcher...

Reader's comment: The right wing media and Diane Abbott